Wrong Flirt, Right Trouble: His Uncle Pulls Me Close

Ivy Sherwood let out a cold laugh, her voice dripping with ridicule and scorn. ”You didn’t know?”

’Does Silas Blackwood think I’m an idiot?’

”I really didn’t know. This is what my dad told me. Ivy, as long as you marry me, I promise your mom’s ashes will be perfectly safe!”

”Silas Blackwood, you’d better start praying for your own mother’s ashes!” Ivy Sherwood hung up the phone.

’Silas Blackwood is a nobody in the Blackwood Family. It seems this really was Caleb Blackwood’s doing.’

’But why would Caleb Blackwood do this?’

’Is he trying to use this to control me? Is it to get me to transfer the shares back to him faster, or to force me to marry Silas Blackwood?’

’Does Quentin Blackwood know about this?’

Ivy Sherwood recalled that Quentin Blackwood had seemed to be reminding her of something, telling her to come and see her mother.

But there was too much going on at the time, and she got held up.

’Could it be that Mom’s ashes were already gone by then?’

’Fortunately, the shares haven’t been transferred yet. That’s my leverage.’

Ivy Sherwood immediately called Zane Linton. This time, he picked up quickly. ”Hello, Secretary Linton, this is Ivy Sherwood.”

”I wanted to ask about the Blackwood Group shares I hold. They haven’t been transferred to Caleb Blackwood yet, have they?”

”Not yet,” Zane Linton said.

”In that case, can the transaction be stopped? Please don’t transfer the shares to Caleb Blackwood yet.”

”We can.” In truth, they hadn’t made much progress on it. Although people from the Blackwood Group were constantly pressing the matter, their side had stalled, and the share transfer hadn’t been initiated at all.

”That’s wonderful. Thank you, Secretary Linton.”

”You’re welcome.”

’If she’s going to thank anyone, it should be President Blackwood. I was just following his orders.’

Ivy Sherwood asked another question. ”Secretary Linton, did Quentin Blackwood know all along?”

’He knew what the Blackwoods were like, knew there would be trouble, so he left her a way out.’

”I’m not sure. You could ask President Blackwood.” Secretary Linton didn’t give anything away.

”I see. Thank you.”

’Even though Zane Linton hadn’t said anything, it was obvious Quentin Blackwood had helped.’

’Quentin Blackwood had helped her so much. It felt like a debt she could never repay.’

Ivy Sherwood hung up. The cemetery staff member asked, ”Miss, what about this...?”

”Seal it for now.” A sharp glint entered Ivy Sherwood’s eyes.

’I will get my mother’s ashes back from Caleb Blackwood, completely unharmed. If he dares to do anything to them, I will never forgive the Blackwood Family!’

’Someone monstrous enough to do this once is more than capable of doing it again. Once I get the ashes back, I’ll keep them with me. I won’t leave them in the tomb.’

Ivy Sherwood returned to the city quickly. Caleb Blackwood had said he would come find her, and by the time Ivy arrived at her studio, he was already there.

And with Caleb Blackwood was Silas Blackwood.

Silas Blackwood was still on crutches. When he saw Ivy Sherwood, he looked like he had a lot to say.

”Ivy...” Silas Blackwood began, but then hesitated.

Ivy Sherwood ignored Silas Blackwood completely, her gaze fixed on Caleb Blackwood. ’This sanctimonious hypocrite. What right does someone like him have to even be alive?’

”Director Blackwood, are my mother’s ashes in your possession? Desecrating a grave... isn’t that a little unethical of you, Director Blackwood?”

Ivy Sherwood had always called him Uncle Blackwood before. Now, looking at him, she found him even more repulsive than Silas Blackwood.

’Only now did she realize that Silas’s scheming was child’s play compared to his father’s.’

Caleb Blackwood didn’t look surprised; Silas must have already told him she knew.

”It seems you already know. I had someone take a look, and the feng shui of that place is quite bad. Your mother was suffering, pressed down under there, so I had someone perform a rite. As for her ashes, I’m just looking after them for the time being.”

Caleb Blackwood explained his actions with casual indifference. ”Ivy, our Blackwood Family has always been very fond of you, and Silas adores you. Why don’t you reconsider marrying him? I haven’t canceled the wedding. The day you two get married, I’ll return your mother’s ashes to you. How does that sound?”

’The way Caleb Blackwood kept referring to her mother so familiarly... Ivy found it utterly fake and disgusting.’

Caleb Blackwood was always courteous and refined in public. He was a master of keeping up appearances. To outsiders, he was a truly good man, a philanthropist.

’The better the disguise, the more ruthless the heart.’

”Director Blackwood, that ten percent of the shares is still in my hands. As long as I don’t agree, I can halt the transfer at any time. You will never get that ten percent.”

Ivy Sherwood was using the shares as leverage. Ten percent would surely be tempting to Caleb Blackwood.

Something flickered in Caleb Blackwood’s eyes. His original plan had indeed been to have Ivy Sherwood transfer the shares to him quickly, after which he could use the ashes to threaten her into marriage.

But who would have thought Ivy Sherwood would discover the missing ashes so soon? It forced him to recalculate his plans.

But no matter. These small changes were not a problem. He could handle it.

”As long as you marry Silas, that ten percent of the shares will belong to our Blackwood Family anyway. It’s fine if they remain in your name. Besides, I, Caleb Blackwood, am not short on money.”

”If you want your mother’s ashes back, I have only one demand: the wedding goes on as planned. And you will go to the media and announce that you and Silas are in love, and that you are the one who wants to marry him.”

Caleb Blackwood didn’t care about the public announcement of the canceled engagement.

After all, it had helped restore the Blackwood Family’s reputation, and the Blackwood Group’s stock had even risen considerably.

In the public’s eyes, the Blackwood Family had handled it perfectly, apologizing for their mistake and calling off the wedding.

But if Ivy were to be the one asking to marry Silas, that would be a different story. Not only would it completely clear the Blackwood Family’s name, but it would also make Ivy the target of all the criticism.

She was the one who broke it off, and now she was the one begging to marry back into the family. The Blackwood Family stood to gain a great deal from that narrative.

”Absolutely not!” ’After everything I went through to break off the engagement, how could I possibly go public and say I want to marry Silas Blackwood?’

”Ivy, you’d better think it over. The deadline I’m giving you is the day of the wedding.”

”The wedding is still on. If you make up your mind, you can call me anytime. But if that date passes... I’m afraid I won’t be able to look after your mother’s ashes for you anymore.”

Ivy Sherwood’s bloodshot eyes were fixed on Caleb Blackwood. ’What is he planning to do to my mother’s ashes?!’

’The word ’monstrous’ isn’t enough to describe him. He’s a devil. He’s terrifying.’

”Silas, I seem to recall there are a few stray dogs outside the villa, aren’t there?”

Silas Blackwood thought about it seriously. ”I don’t think so?”

’Where would stray dogs come from in their villa complex?’

Caleb Blackwood said, ”There’s a new steamed bun shop that opened outside. The stray dogs wait there every day. They love the meat-filled ones.”

As he said this, Caleb Blackwood’s eyes were still smiling. At a glance, he truly looked like a kind, amiable uncle.

His disguise was too perfect. And yet, from his lips came words that sent a chill down the spine: ”I wonder... if you knead ashes into the steamed buns, do you think the stray dogs will eat them?”